River-boat.



P. SIGAUDY.

RIVER BOAT.

APPLIOA'IIONIILED 001218, 1905.

Patented Dec. 1,' 1908.

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WITNESSES:

P. SIGAUDY.

RIVER BOAT.

rum-non FILED 00-1. 18, 1905.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/T/VESSES:

P. SIGAUDY.

' RIVER BOAT. APPLICATION mum own. 1905.

905,377. Patented Dec. 1, 1908:

WITNESSES! P. SIGAUDY.

RIVER BOAT.

nrmoumnrnnp 0011a, 1905.

905,377. Patented Bed. 1, 1908.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES rnTENT oEEioE PIERRE SIGAUDY, or LE HAVRE,FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO STE. DES MESSAGERIES 'ELUviALE's DEFEAT {NOE ANDSTE. AME. DES FGRGES ET canvases DE LA MED'iTERRA-NEE, 5F PARIS,

FRAN CE.

RIVER-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ."Dec.' 1, 1908.

Application filed October 18, 1905. Serial No. 283,234.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that I, PIERRE SIGAUDY, a citizen of the Republic of France,and a resident of Le Havre, Seine-Infrieure, France, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in and Applicable to River Boats, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to river boats and comprises a movable platformarranged at the stern of the boat for supporting the whole of thepropelling machinery including the paddle wheels or the screw accordingto which of these propellers is employed in addition to the engine ormotor and the position of which platform can be altered according torequirements. When the boat is provided with one or more screwpropellers they can be caused to work entirely in the 3 water. Moreover,the boat is provided with a traction chain or rope adapted to drag uponthe bottom of the river or canal when requlred so as to constltute abrake and en .bltl b tt "tth dr.' t' f. 1 e 16 0a 0 resls e lwlng ac Ion0 a, whereby the propellers can be immersed strong currents.

To enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe it byreference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is alongitudinal section of the stern portion of a boat constructedaccording to my invention the movable platform carrying paddle wheels.Fig. 2 is a transverse section, Figs. 2 2 and 2 are respectivelylongitudinal and cross-sections and an elevation of guides and Fig. 3 isa plan view. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a longitudinal section and aplan of a boat with a platform carrying a screw propeller, the said boatbeing moreover provided with my river brake or traction rope.

The platform a of rigid sheet iron supports the entire propellingmachinery namely by a steam, petroleum, gas or electric engine or thelike and shaft 7) and paddle wheels 0.

In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the motor representeddiagrammatically is a Sigaudy beam steam engine cl directly actuatingthe wheels 0 and which is fed by a Normand Sigaudy rapidly vaporizingboiler e.

The platform a, which is quite independent of the boat is movablebetween vertical guides f formed of angle or other suitable irons. Theseirons are provided with holes for fixing, by means of pins f, the slidesf (Fig. 2) fixed on the platform a at difierent heights corresponding tothe varying state of the load.

The platform a is suspended by chains 9, g, g, g, passing over pulleys hfixed to the heads of the adjacent portions of the hull; the ends of thetwo chains on the same side are united together so as to form a singlechain 2'. These chains 2', i are actuated, according to requirements,either directly by a hand or steam winch j or through the medium of twopulleys 70. These arrangements are, hoy'vever, only given as an example,as the movement of the platform can be effected in any other manner,such as by screw windlasses,or hydraulically, or by a float, orthe like.y

The rudder l is operated by the wheelm which actu'ate's chains a, aattached to the sector 0.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an arrangement .in

which a system of screw propulsion is our ployed upon the movableplatform or float to the proper extent for efficient work whatever maybe the depth of the boat in the water.

With the screw p mounted upon a movable platform or upon a float (Figs.4 and 5) it can always be caused to give its ma-Xi mum of efliciencywhatever may be the depth of the boat in the water, since it will beonly necessary to regulate the height of the platform or the float forthe propeller to give its best results.

The movable platform a can if required be removed from the boat with allthe propelling machinery.

79 is the screw propeller mounted upon'the shaft q passing through astuffing box 0, as well as through a bearing 8.

The motor apparatus may consist, as in the arrangements shown in Figs.1, 2 and 3, of a steam, petroleum or other engine 61; if the motor is asteam engine the boiler is placed at 6. An opening t is made in the Ideck of the vessel for the passage therel the boat is fully loaded, incanals in which weeds abound.

In case one or more blades of the screw should become broken the screwcan, when the boat is fully loaded, be easily replaced without it beingcompulsory, as in existing boats, to unship the cargo.

The whole of the machinery being movable both in the case of the screwpropeller and paddle wheel propulsion it can be taken out of the boatwhen loaded or unloaded for repairs or for replacing it by othermachinery.

These boats with movable platforms are advantageously provided with ariver brake or draft rope comprising a chain a (Fig. 4) the dragging ofwhich upon the bottom of the river places a check upon the speed of theboat which is more or less, according to the length which is dragged ofthe chain. It completely stops the boat with a drag varying from 50 to100 meters according to the current. The chain a wound upon a Windlass wor other like apparatus passes into a metal tube to over which is placeda second tube 00. The tube w is fixed to a cast iron block 1 fitted tothe bottom of the boat. This river brake or draft rope can beadvantageously used on board all river boats for checking their speed atany required place by simply letting the rope down so that it drags onthe river bed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A boat provided with an independent verticallyadjustable platform a, a propelling device and a driving engine thereforboth carried directly by said platform, vertical guides f for saidplatform provided with holes, slides f carried by said platform andprovided with holes adapted to register with the holes in the guides f,and pins adapted to enter said holes when in register so as to fiX theplatform at different heights.

2. A boat provided with an independent vertically adjustable platform a,a propelling device and a driving engine therefor both carried directlyby said platform, vertical guides f for said. platform provided withholes, slides f carried by said platform and provided with holes adaptedto register with the holes in the guides f, pins adapted to enter saidholes when in register so as to fix the platform at different heights,chains 9 from which said platform is suspended, pulleys h fixed to theadjacent portions of the hull and over which said chains pass, a singlechain 2' at each side and to which two of the chains 9 are connected, awinch for operating said chains, and pulleys is interposed in saidchains g.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

Y PIERRE SIGAUDY.

Witnesses:

JOHN CREsToN BEECI-IER, DANIEL PARKIRES.

